Immanuel Kant vs John Stuart Mill
Kant and Mill are the two most influential figures of modern moral philosophy and the two paradigmatic representatives of deontology and utilitarianism. Their disagreement frames almost every introductory ethics course and most contemporary normative ethical debate.
At a glance
| Immanuel Kant | John Stuart Mill | |
|---|---|---|
| Dates | 1724 – 1804 | 1806 – 1873 |
| Nationality | German | British |
| Era | Modern | Modern |
| Movements | German Idealism, Enlightenment | Utilitarianism, Empiricism |
| Profile | Immanuel Kant → | John Stuart Mill → |
Where they agree
Both held that morality is a matter of universal principles rather than local custom, both held that the moral law applies to all rational agents alike and is not grounded in religious authority, and both treated freedom and human dignity as central moral concepts. Both wrote against the moral skepticism of the eighteenth century and for a robust normative ethics.
Where they disagree
Kant held that the moral worth of an action depends on the maxim from which it is performed, not on its consequences: the categorical imperative tests whether one can will the maxim of one's action as a universal law, and rational agents must be treated always as ends and never merely as means. Mill held that the morality of an action is determined by its consequences for human happiness: the right action is the one that produces the greatest total happiness, taking everyone's welfare equally into account. Where Kant prohibits using a person merely as a means even for the sake of beneficial consequences, Mill insists that what makes any prohibition matter is the consequences of holding to it.
Representative quotes
Immanuel Kant
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“Two things fill the mind with ever new and increasing admiration and awe, the more often and steadily we reflect upon them: the starry heavens above me and the moral law within me.”
Two things fill the mind with ever-increasing wonder and awe, the more often and the more intensely the mind of thought is drawn to them: the starry heavens above me and the moral law within me. -
“Act only according to that maxim whereby you can, at the same time, will that it should become a universal law.”
Der kategorische Imperativ, der überhaupt nur aussagt, was Verbindlichkeit sei, ist: handle nach einer Maxime, welche zugleich als ein allgemeines Gesetz gelten kann. -
“Out of the crooked timber of humanity, no straight thing was ever made.”
Idea for a General History with a Cosmopolitan Purpose (1784), Proposition 6. | Variant translations: Out of timber so crooked as that from which man is made nothing entirely straight can be built. | From such crooked wood as that which man is made of, nothing straight can be fashioned. | Never a straight thing was made from the crooked timber of man.
John Stuart Mill
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“It is better to be a human being dissatisfied than a pig satisfied; better to be Socrates dissatisfied than a fool satisfied.”
Ch. 2 -
“He who knows only his own side of the case knows little of that.”
Ch. II: Of the Liberty of Thought and Discussion -
“If all mankind minus one were of one opinion, mankind would be no more justified in silencing that one person than he, if he had the power, would be justified in silencing mankind.”
Ch. II: Of the Liberty of Thought and Discussion
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